The new kale?

You’ve probably heard the buzz around cauliflower being billed as the new kale. Now, I love cauliflower, don’t get me wrong…. but the new kale? That sounds like a stretch, for me anyway. I think of kale as so pretty and versatile. I think of cauliflower as so muted and routine. Could I be missing something? I decided to do some homework and find out what all the buzz is about. It didn’t take much Googling before I found a plethora of recipes and photos that were fun, interesting, colorful, delicious and healthy.   You can grill it like a steak, crush it into a pizza crust, mash it instead of potatoes, and much more. It takes on many roles without a hitch and everyone is surprised when they learn the “secret” ingredient. Not to mention, the health benefits of cauliflower are plentiful. It’s full of vitamin C, lots of the B’s, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin K. And it is low in calories. What more could you want?

Try this recipe and don’t forget (from a previous blog post), farro is chewy. The “high chew factor” is good for fast eaters because you have to chew it a lot to get it down! Enjoy and send us your favorite cauli-flower-power recipes!

Ingredients

Roasted Cauliflower:
1 large head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Light sprinkle of fine-grain sea salt

Garlicky Farro:
1 cup uncooked farro, rinsed
2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 tsp fine-grain sea salt 

Everything else:
15 pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and roughly chopped
2 oz feta cheese, crumbled (a heaping half cup)
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 avocado, sliced into thin strips
4 handfuls leafy greens (spinach, arugula, spring greens, other)

Method

To roast cauliflower, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss the cauliflower florets with olive oil, red pepper flakes, and a sprinkle of sea salt. Roast for 25-30 minutes, tossing occasionally until the cauliflower is tender and golden on the edges.

To cook the farro, in a medium saucepan, combine rinsed farro and 3 cups of water. Bring water to a boil, then reduce burner to low and simmer for 35-40 minutes (if you are using pearled farro, it takes only about 15 minute so to cook).   Once cooked, drain off any excess water and toss with olive oil, garlic, and sea salt (I like to roast the garlic in my toaster oven for a couple minutes before chopping but raw garlic is fine too).

In a large serving bowl, toss together roasted cauliflower, cooked farro, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. 

Divide avocados and greens among salad plates. Top with generous amount of cauliflower and farro salad. Finish plates with an extra squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.